Chapter 8 of The Man Who Laughs is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Man Who Laughs is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE NORTH POINT OF PORTLAND. He ran until he was breathless, at random, desperate, over the plain into the snow, into space. His flight warmed him. He needed it. Without the run and the fright he had died.
Chapter 8 of The Man Who Laughs is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
not breathing or able to breathe except with difficulty
From this reading “He ran until he was breathless, at random, desperate, over the plain into the snow, into space.”
arising from or marked by despair or loss of hope
From this reading “He ran until he was breathless, at random, desperate, over the plain into the snow, into space.”
a formation of aircraft in flight
From this reading “His flight warmed him.”
an emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger (usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight)
From this reading “Without the run and the fright he had died.”
necessary for relief or supply
From this reading “He needed it.”
freshwater port and largest city in Oregon; located in northwestern Oregon on the Willamette River which divides the city into east and west sections; renowned for its beautiful natural setting among the mountains
From this reading “THE NORTH POINT OF PORTLAND.”
lacking any definite plan or order or purpose; governed by or depending on chance
From this reading “He ran until he was breathless, at random, desperate, over the plain into the snow, into space.”
having been warmed up
From this reading “His flight warmed him.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Without the run and the fright he had died.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He ran until he was breathless, at random, desperate, over the plain into the snow, into space.
not breathing or able to breathe except with difficulty
From this reading He ran until he was breathless, at random, desperate, over the plain into the snow, into space.
arising from or marked by despair or loss of hope
From this reading He ran until he was breathless, at random, desperate, over the plain into the snow, into space.
past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading Without the run and the fright he had died.
a formation of aircraft in flight
From this reading His flight warmed him.
an emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger (usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight)
From this reading Without the run and the fright he had died.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Without the run and the fright he had died.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He ran until he was breathless, at random, desperate, over the plain into the snow, into space.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading His flight warmed him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His flight warmed him.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading He ran until he was breathless, at random, desperate, over the plain into the snow, into space.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He needed it.
necessary for relief or supply
From this reading He needed it.
the region of the United States lying to the north of the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading THE NORTH POINT OF PORTLAND.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE NORTH POINT OF PORTLAND.
above and across; more than
From this reading He ran until he was breathless, at random, desperate, over the plain into the snow, into space.
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading He ran until he was breathless, at random, desperate, over the plain into the snow, into space.
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading THE NORTH POINT OF PORTLAND.
freshwater port and largest city in Oregon; located in northwestern Oregon on the Willamette River which divides the city into east and west sections; renowned for its beautiful natural setting among the mountains
From this reading THE NORTH POINT OF PORTLAND.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading He ran until he was breathless, at random, desperate, over the plain into the snow, into space.
lacking any definite plan or order or purpose; governed by or depending on chance
From this reading He ran until he was breathless, at random, desperate, over the plain into the snow, into space.
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading Without the run and the fright he had died.
precipitation falling from clouds in the form of ice crystals
From this reading He ran until he was breathless, at random, desperate, over the plain into the snow, into space.
the unlimited expanse in which everything is located
From this reading He ran until he was breathless, at random, desperate, over the plain into the snow, into space.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE NORTH POINT OF PORTLAND.
up to a particular time
From this reading He ran until he was breathless, at random, desperate, over the plain into the snow, into space.
having been warmed up
From this reading His flight warmed him.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He ran until he was breathless, at random, desperate, over the plain into the snow, into space.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Without the run and the fright he had died.
Chapter 8 of The Man Who Laughs by Victor Hugo holds 103 sentences, grouped into 21 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 8 holds 103 sentences of The Man Who Laughs, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Man Who Laughs by Victor Hugo exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 103 sentences, grouped into 21 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 8 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading The Man Who Laughs by Victor Hugo on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Man Who Laughs section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The Man Who Laughs to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Man Who Laughs, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
